The Recipient Is Coming (Originally Posted At Dean from Australia).

From an original posting at http://www.deanfromaustralia.comIn the couple of months since my last post, I have been hard at work, putting the final chapters on my new novel “The Recipient” together, before diving head-long into a series of arduous edits on the manuscript.So what is The Recipient exactly? Well, without revealing too much at this point, I can say that The Recipient is a wholesale departure from my previous works. I can best describe it as a murder/mystery with a twist. It is most definitely a thriller which features action and suspense. It also features quite a nasty conspiracy which was quite a challenge putting together. As we go forward, I’ll trickle out plenty of information, so just sit tight for now and know that you’ll get plenty to whet your appetite.

Just after Christmas, I assembled a group of trusted friends and asked them if they would review the very – Very – rough draft and offer up their thoughts on it. Having slaved away in isolation for so many long months, I was losing my objectivity and desperately needed fresh sets of eyes on the project – if for nothing else than to reassure me that I hadn’t gone completely off the rails with this story. Thankfully, the feedback was hugely constructive and helpful and I approached the editing phase eager to incorporate as much of it as I could. From a rather bloated and repetitious first draft, I have made the story much leaner and have eliminated a lot of superfluous exposition. I received some really great plot ideas that I hadn’t previously considered and which enabled me to address some difficulties I had in making sense of a few points. The most important feedback I received was that the story works. Having struggled with self doubt over that very question for so long, that was the greatest relief. Today, as I write this, I have submitted the manuscript to my publisher Central Avenue Publishing, where we will now work together on the next phase of editing. Having completed four passes so far, I imagine there will be at least another four, though they will be a lot more focused on specific aspects of the story.In the meantime, check back here for more frequent updates as the final stages of my journey with The Recipient unfold (subscribe to my blog in the left hand sidebar to receive updates).The Recipient Is Coming.DFA.